Astrid Andersen, who surprised us with a sumo-inspired collection last season, once again drew a large part of her inspiration from Japan this season. This time, the key theme is "Hagakure," a book that expounds on the spirit of Bushido. Many will remember the famous line, "The way of the samurai is to find death." However, Andersen's interpretation of "Hagakure" is inspired by Jim Jarmusch's film "Ghost Dog" (1999), emphasizing a melancholy reminiscent of American urban culture. Perhaps this is why, despite the theme of Bushido, every look is paired with a beret or a gorgeous furry aviator cap. The long, loose-fitting tops and the color palette of black, gray, and accent colors of pink and red don't particularly evoke Japan or Bushido. Is it that last season's straightforward approach, inspired by sumo wrestling, has evolved into a more quirky approach that seeks to reveal the underlying sentiments of the garments, or is it that Andersen's image of the "samurai" is far removed from the image of the average Japanese person? Setting aside bushido and examining the collection, we can see a gradual evolution of Andersen's style, which bases its designs on sportswear but changes the materials and silhouettes. The uniform numbers and logos are made of metallic materials that glitter in seven colors. This is a representation of the brilliance of oil, and even the knitwear, appearing for the first time this season, features gleaming heat-transferred uniform numbers. The use of fur has become more casual, so much so that you have to look closely to notice the inclusion of such a large amount of fur. The bare-chested models that were a constant feature until last season are absent this season. This seems to be a collection of grown-ups, confident but not overly ostentatious. Astrid Andersen 2015-2016 Autumn/Winter Collection

Also inspired by Japan, specifically the ninja, "Maharishi" showcased a certain cliched "Japaneseness" with an eerie all-black look featuring a hoodie with a mask, recognizably Japanese motifs like Mount Fuji and a five-story pagoda, and a long umbrella slung diagonally across the back like a ninja sword. It was, in a sense, an exaggerated, stereotypical "Japan" reminiscent of souvenir shops for foreign tourists. Japanese people would easily point out every single flaw and say, "This isn't it!" But perhaps the correct answer is to enjoy the fruits of misunderstandings and assumptions. There's no doubt that using ninjas as a starting point, he created something no Japanese person would have dreamed up.
Maharishi 15-16 Autumn/Winter Collection

At the Fashion East Men's Wear Presentation, a joint exhibition event for new and emerging designers, Edward Crutchley, in his second season, showed a Japanese-inspired collection featuring a combination of sukajan jackets, hakama, and geta sandals (although with socks, not tabi), a combination not typically seen in Japan.

Even in Japan, Christopher Raeburn used Japanese-made materials for key pieces. A fleece-lined jacket and loose-fitting combat pants were created using soft, lustrous wool denim. This season, with themes of adrift and survival aboard a lifeboat, the wool denim pants were coordinated with a jacket printed with letters evoking cargo packaging, a shark-print knitwear depicting one of the ocean's threats, and inflatable vinyl vests and jackets resembling lifeboats. The shark was also made into a three-dimensional figure and appeared as a plush backpack.
Christopher Raeburn 2015-2016 Autumn/Winter Men's Collection